Bob Osher, Miramax’s chief operating officer and general counsel, is leaving his role at the studio after helping to secure a deal with ViacomCBS and Paramount that closed back in April.
Osher’s departure from Miramax following the closure of the deal was planned in advance, and he helped see through the deal in which ViacomCBS acquired a 49% ownership stake in Miramax, as well as a long-term agreement for Miramax’s film library.
The deal also included an exclusive, long-term first-look agreement allowing Paramount Pictures to develop, produce, finance and distribute new film and television projects based on Miramax’s IP.
“We are grateful for the integral role Bob has played in advancing the company’s commitment to great storytelling and innovative television and film projects. Bob helped lay the groundwork and played a key role in achieving the completion of our strategic partnership with ViacomCBS/Paramount, which will create unique new opportunities for collaborations and new value from our extensive library of award-winning film and television content,” Miramax CEO, Bill Block said in a statement. “We appreciated Bob staying through the completion of the transition process and for everything else he has achieved during his time at Miramax and wish the best in his future endeavors.”
“I couldn’t be more thankful for the time I’ve spent at Miramax. It was an honor contributing to the efforts made behind our partnership with ViacomCBS/Paramount, integrating top-of-the-line resources and talent, which will ultimately define this new chapter of Miramax and the many successes to come,” Osher said in a statement.
Osher joined Miramax in 2018 after exiting as COO of Sony Pictures Digital Productions and then president of Sony digital productions. Before that, he had a previous stint as co-president of production at the old Miramax running TV, legal, business affairs and production facilities at the company.
Miramax’s film library includes more than 700 titles, 278 Academy Award nominations and 68 Oscars. The studio holds four Best Picture awards: for “Chicago,” “Shakespeare In Love,” “The English Patient” and “No Country for Old Men.”
Founded by Bob Weinstein and Harvey Weinstein in 1979, Miramax was sold to Disney in 1993 with the Weinstein brothers remaining in charge until 2005. They left to form The Weinstein Company, which collapsed in 2018 after more than 100 women accused Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault and misconduct. The company became an indie film powerhouse in the 1990s and 2000s, producing many of the defining films of the era.